I mentioned this series when I wrote my post on Wednesday, and since then I’ve been thinking about it quite a lot. The Soldier son trilogy isn’t for everyone, and I know some people who were never keen on it as it was a big departure from Robin Hobb’s other books set in the Three-Kingdoms, or those on the Live Ships and Dragons of Bingtown. The Soldier Son novels, despite being works of fantasy, are set in a relatively modern world with rifles and guns, and Hobb develops an unorthodox main character from that which you’d normally expect from a fantasy series. However, these novels strengths are that they cover a lot of issues that we would recognise from our own world, and really make you think about our own perceptions to those same issues.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the conflicting issues in these novels are between the progress and development of the modern world on the one-side, and the traditions and magical beliefs of a land that is coming under pressure from the encroachment, on the other. Our main character, the Soldier’s son, acts as a conduit to both points of views, and it is an interesting journey that he takes us through. His former hopes and aspirations firstly being dashed, then replaced by a new calling.

Magic still holds a key role in this conflict, and as with everything Hobb writes, she has really thought about the magic in the novels, and describes their use, limitations, and how it is wielded. That is because the forest mages’ in her novels are in effect used by the magic of the forest, rather than the other way round – the mages being tools to the forests will.

We are also challenged on our perceptions on physical attributes, weight, and how we view and judge people’s worth based on their appearance and how they fit in with our own ideals.

These novels are not fast-paced, or what you’d normally expect from a fantasy series, so if that is what you are looking for they’re probably not for you. But if you want a thoughtful read that makes you stop and think about things, all told through Hobb’s brilliant and detailed writing, they really make a strong impression – I should know, as I still can’t stop thinking about them…

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Wed, 29 Jul 2015 14:43:55 +0000thomasmdbrookehttps://thomasmdbrooke.com/2015/07/29/great-borderlands-and-frontiers-in-novels-part-1-fantasy/For the past week and a half I’ve been staying in a small cottage up in the wild hills of Northumberland, one of England’s two counties that lie on the border with Scotland. Evidence of previous animosity between the two countries are all around, not just with Hadrian’s Wall that runs through the borderlands, but in the number of castles and fortified buildings that lie festooned over the countryside. My own cottage that I am staying in still has arrow slits in the outbuildings, a relic from its past when the inhabitants needed to defend themselves from the periodic raiding parties from the Scottish North.

This has made me think about borderlands in literature, and what a great location they are to set any novel. Obviously history is full of hostile frontiers, and next week I will go through a few of those and show some examples. But equally this works well for fantasy novels, and here are just a few great examples of fantasy novelists that have used this topic so well.

Mordor, Middle Earth. The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien. What a great place to start! The Dark Lord Sauron’s land is defended by the Black-Gate and although a back door exists through a winding-stair, this has a nasty big spider to protect it and a tower full of Orcs. This means that most of the hostility between Mordor and its neighbour’s Gondor and Rohan take place around the cities of Minas Tirith and Osgiliath and the river of Anduin. The unforgettable battle before Minas Tirith when Éowyn smites the Witch-King of Angmar is one that lasts long into the memory.

The Blight, Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The Blight is not only full of Trollocks and Fades, and all number of unwholesome beasts, it also destroys anything it touches, spoiling crops and any land it devours. To halt its progress, the borderlands of Shienar, Arafel, Saldaea, and Kandor exist to keep the Trollocks and their evil masters at bay. The men of the borderlands are just what you would expect from a frontier – tough, unyielding, and a lifetime wedded to the sword.

The lands of the Drenai, Legend and other Drenai novels by David Gemmell. The vast steps to the North of the Drenai are populated by the hordes of the Nadir, a warlike people that fight along the steps and threaten the peace and civilisation of the Drenai. Fortunately they have Dros Delnoch to protect them, a magnificent fortress with many walls to withstand the unstoppable Nadir Hordes…it just requires the right leader to motivate the men – here enters Druss the Legend.

The Forests of the Specks. The Soldier Son Trilogy, Robin Hobb. This frontier is different from the others, as it involves two different people with different philosophies in life. One is concerned with the advance of civilization, and onward march of progress through the wilds. The other wants to conserve their forest, their customs, and their way of life. The connections to our own world are obvious, but it is interesting how people’s views have changed on this subject – if I was writing this article one hundred years ago, or even fifty, most readers sympathies would be with the explorers, but a modern reader is more likely to want to respect the rights of the aboriginal peoples. The conflicting viewpoints in this series are just as pronounced, and is an interesting subject for that reason.

The Wall – Game of Thrones, George R R Martin. The wall of ice that protects the land of Westoros from the Others, and Wildlings of the frozen North. George Martin claims he was inspired by this whilst visiting Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, so it is fitting that I have come full circle. Westoros’ Wall has stood for a thousand years and is guarded by the Nights watch, a brotherhood of men united by their oaths of allegiance and a common purpose – fantastic!

I’m sure there are many more examples in fantasy novels…if so, post them here.

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Tue, 28 Jul 2015 16:00:08 +0000SJardinehttps://archeddoorway.com/2015/07/28/fools-quest-by-robin-hobb-review/https://gmvader.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/assassins-quest-by-robin-hobb/
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 11:18:00 +0000gmvaderhttps://gmvader.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/assassins-quest-by-robin-hobb/I will start by saying that if you are looking for a book to lift your spirits and give you hope for happy times and lightness then you probably don’t want to read this book. However, if you don’t mind seeing a master storyteller show you how a character’s life can go horribly, horribly wrong then this is the book for you.

Robin Hobb tells the story of young Fitz with all the emotion that the character deserves. He is young and his passions are high and he vows, in his naïveté to avenge himself on King Regal. Fitz sees a man who has murdered and destroyed lives out of a simple child-like fear or naked ambition. Regal killed his own father to claim the throne but more personally he tortured and killed Fitz, who only survived because of the Wit magic that his mother’s lineage gave him.

The problem is that Wit magic is outlawed and an abomination and Regal hunts down all who possess it. Fitz’s death was also rather public so any who recognize him know him for the abomination that he is.

Unable to see his friends, his family or his loved ones again Fitz nourishes his friendship with Nighteyes, his wolf companion.

Fitz is an interesting character. He’s trained as an assassin but he isn’t very good at it. He fails at it many times, especially at the critical moment when he tries to avenge his own death. He is the son of a charismatic leader and soldier yet when he fights he turns into a berserker, wild and thoughtless. He is riddled with flaws both emotional and physical. His body has been poisoned and beaten enough times that he is frequently paralyzed by fear of being beaten again.

Verity is more heroic, Kettricken is more capable, Chade and Burrich are both more skilled. Even Nighteyes possesses a contentment with his lot that escapes the young bastard son of a deceased prince.

But Hobb chose Fitzchivalry as the hero of her books because he is the catalyst. His is the touch that sparks the flames in others. When Fitz is around then things start to happen. It was because of Fitz that Verity journeyed across the mountains to the Rainwilds, searching aid from the Elderlings. It is also because of Fitz that Kettricken fled Buckkeep to save her unborn child, and the Fool fled with her. Now it is Fitz, looking for Verity, that triggers a search from Queen Kettricken and the Fool that will take them across the mountains to discover not only what Verity sought but the bones of an ancient civilization buried deep in the heart of the mountains.

I loved this book like I loved the two before it in the trilogy. Amidst all the brutal punishment that Hobb deals out to Fitz across the course of this series there is a bit of bittersweetness to this ending. His choices could not have ended any other way.

This book also pushes a lot of my other buttons. I have always been a bit of a pushover for exploring abandoned or lost civilizations. Finding ghost towns is still exciting. Visiting archeological sites fascinates me. To have large portions of this book filled with Fitz and his party exploring abandoned roads and buildings, discovering the mysteries of a long lost people that no longer exist, was just the right thing to push the story over the top.

It is that hint of a deeper, richer history and a people that have vanished that intrigues me so deeply. It is that richness that drew me into Tolkien’s work when I first read it. It is that same depth that I look for and love in most fantasy books. It is the feeling that people lived here long ago and all we have is relics of their past that brings to me that sense of wonder that fantasy literature is so well known for.

I would have read it anyway. I would probably have loved it no matter what. Robin Hobb has convinced me at this point that she knows characters and what to do with them well enough that I trust her.

Assassin’s Quest is brutal. Fitz gets even more battered and beaten, both mentally and physically. But it is also beautiful. It is a story about how much Fitz is willing to sacrifice for his King, his people, for what he sees as right. It is also a story about devotion, about prophecy and about loss and what that means.

Fitz is surrounded by a cast of characters who bring their own powerful resonances to the story. Kettle, the exiled old woman who refuses to leave his side on his search for his King. Ketricken, the Queen of both the Mountain Kingdom and of the Six Duchies, in hiding from Regal until Verity returns. Starling, the minstrel that sees Fitz as a catalyst that will inspire in her an epic that will ensure her future. And last, but not least is the Fool, a pale, fey prophet who is Fitz’s best friend and probably the most fascinating and mysterious character in the series.

This is a satisfying, if bitter, ending to the Farseer trilogy. I couldn’t ask for anything else.

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Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:00:00 +0000Michael Senfthttps://relentlessreading.com/2015/07/26/tough-traveling-middle-aged-heroes/https://biblioaddicted.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/reading-like-a-woman-possessed/
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:58:47 +0000Biblio Addicthttps://biblioaddicted.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/reading-like-a-woman-possessed/https://lindahasalife.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/what-i-am-currently-into/
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 15:22:05 +0000Lindahttps://lindahasalife.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/what-i-am-currently-into/Whenever I have several interests rummaging through my head, I like to write about it. Of course I could do this in one of my many private note books, if the only purpose was creating order from chaos. But another side of this is carrying my enthusiasm over to my blog, so that other people might enjoy it and get inspired.

Here is what I am currently reading!

Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb. This first book in the third trilogy about FitzChivalry Farseer is awesome! If you are unfamiliar with Robin Hobb’s work, I recommend reading the Farseer Trilogy. It is so addictive. I started reading that trilogy about 13-14 years ago and have never stopped looking for similar work. I love me some first person point of view fantasy.

Acrylic Painting. I recently bought some new paints brushes, and pads of canvas paper. And it seems another wolf piece made it here.

I may add more detail to this. He is inspired by the character of Night Eyes in the books I am recommending below.

But one creative outlet is not enough! I have also picked up journalling again. Not the forced daily reports of my day. But inspiring quotes, doodles, thoughts, wants, hopes and whatever else I want to commit to the book. Tonight I will try some transferring of photos with acetone. A blender pen is recommended but I use nail polish remover with acetone for this. Follow the link (to the awesomely inspiring Free People blog) and have fun!

Sometimes I want to be creative as I find drawing and painting great for flow experience, but I am not always inspired. Adult colouring books, come on down!

I do not have any experience with this yet, but I have a few books in the Zen Colouring series in my Amazon basket.

Now that I am seeing some results from my gardening efforts, motivation to do more with the garden has increased dramatically. I have dedicated a new Pinterest board to it and all! Fortunately there is loads to do in the Autumn and Winter for the garden, like building the beds, starting the compost heap (seriously, why I am not yet using the chicken poop and egg shells I have so much of?), planning the layout, and building a fire pit and patio. Those last two are fun projects for me and the Hubs together.

Now that I mentioned the A word, Autumn that is, it is that time of year (yes, high summer) when my mind drifts to warm colours, falling leaves, and Halloween/Samhain. Autumn is my absolute favourite season and I would love to make 2015 the best one yet! I want to improve my knitting and crocheting, discover new teas, and dishes, and walk through ALL the woods!

Who doesn’t need this beautiful blanket in their lives? I would buy it but I kind of want to challenge myself into making something similar. There are plenty of patterns here.

It’s about time to wrap this up but not before I mention that my interest in crystals (particularly Amethyst at the moment) and essential oils (especially Ylang Ylang) is also rekindling. These are things I drift in and out of. But when interests keep coming back to you, I think that means something.

I hope whoever reads this can take something away from my enthusiasm. These hobbies and interests are what make up a fun life and who knows where what I share can lead someone else and to what someone else’s sharing leads me?

More from me soon!

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Thu, 16 Jul 2015 19:14:05 +0000Sentient Inkhttps://sentientink.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/top-5-most-anticipated-fantasy-novels-of-2015/This article will briefly introduce five of the must read fantasy novels out this year that we at Sentient Ink are particularly excited about. The five we have chosen are not in any particular order, and this isn’t an exhaustive list, but we think you’ll agree they’re all going to be awesome.

The Shepherd’s Crown, by Terry Pratchett (Out August 27, 2015 in the UK, September 1 in the USA)

So far we have reviewed the Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett’s first novel in the Discworld series, and Night Watch, the first in The City Watch sequence. With Terry Pratchett’s sad passing, The Shepherd’s Crown will bring an end to the epic, thirty two year old fantasy series.

The Shepherd’s Crown is the fifth Discworld novel to follow Tiffany Aching, a young witch in training who has grown up throughout the four novels in which she has starred, being just nine years old in The Wee Free Men, up to almost nineteen in I Shall Wear Midnight. Not much has been revealed about The Shepherd’s Crown, but with Tiffany’s fiery character and Pratchett’s famous literary bombardment of adventure, magic and humour, it is sure to be a wonderful, and very emotional, farewell to the Discworld and its creator.

Shadows of Self will be a sequel to the critically acclaimed Alloy of Law, and is set in the Mistborn Universe, but some 300 years after the events of the original Mistborn trilogy. This novel will also start a new Mistborn trilogy starring Wax and Wayne from Alloy of Law.

Brandon Sanderson’s prolific nature does nothing to baulk the incredible intelligence and creativity behind his worlds, and he has received vast praise for his ability to ‘evolve’ his medieval Mistborn universe 300 years to the time of Wax and Wayne. A crazy and daunting thing to attempt, but he pulled it off, and now he’s adding three more books to the series!

It’s such a risk to keep expanding, as well as adapting, a fantasy series that is already reviewed as one of the greatest reads – something which daunts most fantasy writers – but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Brandon Sanderson.

The hugely anticipated sequel to Fool’s Assassin, and the second novel in the Fitz and the Fool series, Fool’s Quest promises to be another much-loved masterclass from another prolific fantasy writer – Robin Hobb. Fool’s Assassin was praised for its subtlety, not focusing on thrilling action and shocking twists, but on emotion and deep characters.

It’s worth a mention that Fool’s Assassin is Mark Lawrence’s number one on his reading list on Goodreads.com, and he describes it as ‘A powerful, passionate book…’ With most fantasy novels these days focused on action and gore, Robin Hobb gives us another option which is just as effective in stirring our emotions.

The Thorn of Emberlain, by Scott Lynch (Out September 17, 2015)

So far we have had three novels in the beloved Gentlemen Bastard sequence. The

first book, the Lies of Locke Lamora, is one of our favourite fantasy books here at Sentient Ink. The two sequels, Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves, while still well-loved, are widely considered a slight step down from the original. Some of the camaraderie was lost (for spoilerific reasons we shall not go into) and some felt the love story of the third to be a little disappointing. We’re hoping here that The Thorn of Emberlain will be a return to Scott Lynch’s best… but even if it isn’t, it’s still going be brilliant.

If the first two novels of the Shattered Sea trilogy are anything to go by, then Half a War, the final instalment, is going to be pacey, direct, action-packed and filled with the exceptionally envisioned characters that define Joe Abercrombie’s style. I always feel that when people start labelling a novel as YA fiction, it can create a stigma – does this make it a childish book, one adult wonders, imagining a medieval war between hungry caterpillars and tigers on their way to tea.

Half a King and Half the World were both sensational novels, with intense action, meaningful relationships and plenty of themes that captivate me as an adult. I don’t even think this is YA to be honest; perhaps that just means it’s more accessible than some fantasies, which I suppose it is. But this novel is in no way handicapped; it doesn’t feel confined or held back. Despite being great novels themselves, the first two books in the Shattered Sea trilogy have also done well to build towards Half a War, provoking immense anticipation for the fantasy series’ conclusion. It was intense enough before a war had even started.

Thanks for reading what we at Sentient Ink think are the top 5 must reads still to come to our shelves in 2015 (Half a War is out now – but only just, so we’ve sneaked it in.) Of course we’d love to hear what other novels you’re looking forward to this year, so drop us a comment and let us know. Remember to follow/subscribe/like/comment/poke (Do people still poke? Surely not)/keep visiting our site; there are much more articles, writing guides and book reviews to come, and plenty of our own fiction too.

I finished off A Game of Thrones, the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire series a few weeks ago. When the last episode of the 5th season of the TV series left me in mourning, I decided it was time that I start reading this fantasy series too. Too – as in most other people seem to have read it (including those who do not read), and as in I’ve read most of the blockbuster fantasy serieses out there. I finally felt like I had the time (summer & Vaasa = much time) and I felt as if I had a little detective mission to complete. I would read the first book watching out for tips about Jon Snow’s parentage, and on that basis decide if he could really be dead.

Because I’ve been a TV series watcher for a longer time now, my loyalties were clear. Of course, everyone roots for the Starks in the beginning, as they’re the simple heroes, the good guys we’re supposed to like. And like most, I also have a warm spot for Daenerys – and reading this book reminded me of why (not the dragons, though they are cool, but because she was abused by her horrendous brother). However, there is timely discrepancy between where I am in the books and where we are in the show, and reading a written account of all the unfairness towards Lord Stark made me mad. But when I look at where the show has run so far, it looks like no one is going to be able to avenge him. It seems such a long time ago any of the characters were occupied with Eddard’s death.

Otherwise, the book was alsoa good look into the past: both through Eddard’s memories (as we won’t be getting any of that anymore) and the friendships forged or hinted at during this first book. Say, Tyrion and Jon started to get on decently. Could something still come out of that? (No, a prerequisite for a friendship is being alive. Or is it?)

As a fantasy book, I of course had to compare A Game of Thrones to its genre brothers and sisters. J. R. R. Tolkien will forever remain the absolute dictator of my heart, and no one will ever make a sufficient stand against him, but Martin has one of the things that makes Tolkien so loved. That’s scope – many other fantasy serieses try to reach that scope and bring their imagination to life the best they can, but at the end of the day it’s only very few who succeed in world-creation. Tolkien did it, and I think Martin’s done it too, and that’s enough. Hands down. Well done. Another pilar series of fantasy, Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings, remains the only true challenge to Tolkien, as far as I know. Hobb’s got scope too (though maybe not as immensely vast as Martin), but frankly, she just remains a better writer. You cry out your deepest heart’s blood for her character’s fates. With Martin, you only cry and then you move on because you know there’s gonna be another death soon. And another.

So that’s A Game of Thrones set into its genre context. A fantasy book. Where’s the supernatural then? The opening chapter introduces the white walkers and their zombies, but then they disappear. Where are my wizards, zombies and dragons? Well we get the baby dragons and Drogo spends some time as a zombie at the end of the book, but I’m still waiting for some actual sorcery here. Possibly Bran will get there eventually. In the series it seems that fantasy in general is rather minor. It’s the epic that’s big.

A lot of the time, the book is more historical: a modern imaginative take on the medieval War of the Roses. It does it in a rather daringly contemporary way, as it includes the manly facts of medieval warring: pointless and numerous deaths, rape and plunder. None of that in LotR. So as it happens, this might be one of the first fantasy books that doesn’t shy away from the obvious side-effects of their contents (war). However, A Game of Thrones was a far cry from being as sexy as I was expecting it to be. I guess I’ll blame the hype. The book’s never seen porn and only glimpsed at erotic writing in moments such as Daenerys’ and Drogo’s wedding night, but when it’s about time to shout “ACTION!”, we’re left in a cliff-hanger, chapter-ending, and a change of perspective.

The violence and unsafety loom and flower all over the story in a way that for once I find repellant. Repellant in the sense, that I’ve finally encountered a fantasy-world in which I don’t want to live. I am happy to observe the events from the far-awayness of reading safe pages. Besides the likelihood of being killed and raped, I’m actually really terrified of the white walkers, and when Winter does come, I don’t know how the Westerosians are gonna make it out. But I’ll watch on from here, through the safe window of my Kindle. Btw, this is maybe the 5th book I have finished reading on my Kindle, and I am finally convinced of the little machine’s greatness: so much easier to travel with.

Literature-wise, the narratorial technique of the book is based on the eight perspectives. The story is told via the viewpoints of six Starks, Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen. Though the story runs smoothly and keeps you reading, the changes of character perspective are where the literary short-comings of Martin’s book are most evident. These 8 narrative perspectives barely differ from one another in tone and attitude, and you would expect that when considering the character facts. The only one who slightly stands out is Tyrion, thanks to his jaded sense of humour (which also explains his popularity). All the characters have their repetitive sentences, or mottos, Daenerys with “I’m the blood of the dragon”, Catelyn with memories of red newly borns, Sansa with “I’m a good girl” and Arya with her water dancing lesson bottomlines. Otherwise, in style, they do not much differ. The writing is not very fascinating or deep – quite a typical fantasy book in that sense. Considering all the things happening to and around these characters, there is a lot of potential for strong imagery and multidimensional, real-feeling characters. Martin does not care to pick that up.

However, GoT is much read by those who do not read. Lack of psychological depth or poetic output is hardly going to bother these readers, as they don’t know of anything better. GoT is gripping and imaginative, and I don’t wonder at tons and tons of people declaring it the best book they’ve read. If you’ve read 20 books, GoT is most likely to be the best you have read. Hell, even Twilight might the best book you’ve read! (Now I feel bad, aligning an actually good book with Twilight, I’m sorry Martin and all the old and new gods!)

As a final word, did I complete my detective mission? I think there’s obviously some black block when it comes to the way Eddard thinks about Jon. There is a similar block when he remembers back to that promise he made to Lyanna and what it has gotten him into. So yeah, I’m happy to support the R + L = J theory. The Old Bear also had a feeling that it was important to have Jon, as a Stark (blood of First Men yadayada), at the Wall. Do we still need him there or has he served his purpose? In this book, the POV characters are Tyrion, Daenerys, Catelyn, Eddard, Jon, Sansa, Arya and Bran. Except for Eddard and Catelyn, the POV characters have all come pretty far, and seem to have a fair survival rate. We will need a POV character at the Wall. I can’t say if we know Tormund or Melisandre well enough to give them the honour, and Sam’s gone a long time. All in all, Jon seems to be important to be killed – though many important characters have been killed before too. But in my head the whole thing was kind of hanging on Jon and Daenerys: song of ice and fire? We’ll just have to wait.

As to the book, it’s a safe recommendation to anyone, if you don’t read. It’ll keep you reading, at least through another 4 books. And hopefully more.

*

An interesting article also touching upon the readership and fantasy-context of A Song of Ice and Fire: ‘When Did You Get Hooked?‘ by John Lanchester on the London Review of Books.

The Overview: The dragons’ survival hangs in the balance in the thrilling final volume in the acclaimed River Wilds chronicles fantasy series. The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bonds with their dragons deepen, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, and even Cedric, the unlikeliest of keepers, have begun transforming into beautiful Elderlings raked with exquisite features that complement and reflect the dragons they serve.

But while the humans have scoured the empty streets and enormous buildings of Kelsongra, they cannot find the mythical silver wells the dragons need to stay health and survive. With enemies encroaching, the keepers must risk “memory walking”- immersing themselves in the dangerously addictive memories of long-deceased Elderlings – to uncover clues necessary to their survival. And time is of the essence, for the legendary Tintaglia, long feared dead, has returned, wounded in a battle with humans hunting dragon blood and scales. She is weakening and only the hidden silver can revive her. If Tintaglia dies, so, too, will the ancient memories she carries – a devastating loss that will ensure the dragons’ extinction.

The Mini Review:

I can’t say enough good things about Robin Hobb. If she’s not my favorite author, she’s at least in my top three. Blood of Dragons concludes her Rain Wild Chronicles, a series which takes place on the periphery of her FitzChivalry books. My favorite thing about these “spinoffs” is the expansion of the world I love and the most excellent portrayal of dragons. Many authors write dragons with human personalities, desires, and motives. Hobb’s dragons are bestial and almost alien in their behaviors and thoughts; in my opinion, every bit as authentic as good dragons should be. It was awesome! I don’t know that we’ll see a continuation anytime soon, but after finally learning more about Elderling lore (often alluded to throughout the entire Farseer saga and finally just scratching the surface of possibilities here) I can’t see her just leaving it at that. If you’re a Hobb fan, The Rain Wild Chronicles is a must-read. If you’re a fantasy fan, this author is well worth your time! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a new Fitz and the Fool tale to dive into…

Hey there. So I missed a Teaser Tuesday yesterday. But that’s because I have just finished Prince of Thorns and have yet to pick another book. So instead, I will do the Nintendo Book Tag today. This tag was created by Sam form Novels and Nonsense and even though I wasn’t tagged by anyone, I’m still gonna do it coz it seems fun! So let’s get on with the tag…

1) NES (Nintendo Entertainment System): A Classic you want to read

I’ve never really had to read classics for classes but one classic that I really want to read is Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I read an excerpt of it for one of my creative writing classes and I really want to read the whole story. Needless to say, I have yet to pick it up.

2) SNES (Super Nintendo): A Sequel you liked more than the 1st (can be a 2nd book in a series)

For this I’ll have to go with any of Cassandra Clare’s sequels. Her books just get better and better as the story progresses. And the last book will always be epic, and never fails to give me all the feels.

3) Nintendo 64: A book that revolutionized the way you look at the world

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. I read this book while I was feeling lost and down, and it certainly picked me up. This book really helped me see the brighter side of things and changed my outlook of the world. Check out my review to find out more about how this book changed me.

4) Gamecube: A popular book that did not go over so well with you

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I know I’m going to get a lot of hate for this but I honestly did not like the book. While I enjoyed the first half, the second half just felt too long and draggy. And I felt that Cath, the main character was very stagnant and did not develop much throughout the book. We only see her developing at the end of the book, which I felt was a bit too long to develop her character. Check out my review here to find out more.

5) Wii: A new favorite book

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I just finished this book last week and it was just so amazing. I loved the plot and the characters and I just could not put the book down. And I’m so glad that there will be a sequel for this book. I just can’t wait for it to come out. One year is too long a wait.

6) Nintendo Power: Favorite Graphic novel series or a series you want to start

Chew written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory. I started reading this graphic novel a few months ago and I have to say I love it. The art style is cool and the story is very engaging.

Chew essentially follows Anthony “Tony” Chu who is a Cibopath. A Cibopath is a person who can eat something and get a sense of where the food came from or where it has been. Tony uses his powers for the Food Drug Administration (FDA) and solves crime. Also, another fun fact, chicken is outlawed in this world, following the outbreak of bird flu.

What I really like about this graphic novel is it’s interesting concept. I’ve never come across something like this before. Also, there are other superpowers in the graphic novel, all relating to food. And who doesn’t love food.

7) Super Mario: A Character that you’d love to squish like a Goomba

Artemis from The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you’ve read any Dark Hunter novels, you would know that Artemis is very mean to Acheron. She is heartless, and only cares about herself. She continues to haunt Acheron for centuries and just can’t let him go. She claims to love him but her actions speak differently.

8) Zelda: A newer fantasy that you consider to be a modern classic

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Technically, this wasn’t really published recently. But hey, it was first published in 1995. I really feel that this trilogy should be a classic. This is a very character driven fantasy series and there’s a lot of political intrigue and magic. In this world, people are shunned for being different, and names have power over the person. It is overall a very interesting trilogy and there is lots to learn from it.

9) Samas-Aran: Favorite Sci-fi novel or one you want to read

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I have yet to read this book. But I really want to. I first watched GATTACA a few years ago and ever since then, I’ve been hunting for a book that is similar to the movie.

10) Pokemon: Book editions that you want to collect

The new UK editions of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. I am a fan of the Mortal Instruments series, and the new UK editions are just stunning. Each cover has a beautiful illustration. Just look below and see what I mean.

11) Donkey Kong: A book with original characters

Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee. A kick-ass female protagonist. A creepy, crazy mother. A sister whom is a failed human experiment. An angel without wings. What more do you want? Check out my review for Angelfall and World After to find out more.

Pokemon Crystal. It is the first Pokemon game that I have ever played, and the one I enjoyed the most. I remember sneaking into my parents’ room to ‘steal’ the gameboy, just so that I could play the game.

So that’s the end of my Nintendo Book Tag. Feel free to do this tag if you want to. :)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature run byThe Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books that fit with the theme. All the details and how to join are available here.

I am so behind on my posting schedule that it is unreal. This is largely due to the fact that I have been to a lot of different events in the past fortnight and I’ve been all over the country. I’m currently writing and posting this in my lunch break at the wonderful Fantastika conference at Lancaster University. I will get up to speed with my posts soon but it will probably be next week when about 20 appear at once…

I’m severely behind on the classics so this list would be far, far too long if I tried to incorporate all of fiction I’m missing out on. As such I’ve been specific and narrowed it down to the Fantasy genre. This one was really interesting as it helped my build up my to-read list and also in admitting that there’s some books that are just never going to happen for me.

This series seemed to pass me by somehow and I really do mean to eventually read it – I like the concept and a lot of people have recommended it to me.

Every book ever written by David and Leigh Eddings

(apart from the chunky Belgarath and Polgara books that I occasionally use as a doorstop)

I have tried – I swear I have. But I can’t get into it – again probably a prime offence for Fantasy book lovers. I just can’t do it – my mum bought me the aforementioned two books for my birthday several years ago. My mum has a tried and tested method for buying me books – buy the thickest, newest, fantasy release you can find and hope for the best (my mother knows me too well) This is one of the rare occasions where that tactic has failed.

Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan

The reason I haven’t read these was my unfinished series rule. Now that the series has been finished I am going to have to get round to it eventually. If only because if I don’t my boyfriend is going to be really really disappointed in me as he was addicted to them.

Mistborn – Brandon Sanderson

Indeed, everything by Brandon Sanderson. I will rectify this eventually when I’m in the mood for another big series but the urge hasn’t struck me yet. Thankfully, when the urge finally strikes I’ll be able to borrow them off my boyfriend – I think bookcase exchange is an important part of any relationship

A Song of Ice and Fire – George RR Martin

It’s now a policy of mine never to read a series that is unfinished = or at least one that doesn’t have a final book coming out soon. The TV series has caught up with – and deviated majorly from – the books now (arggggh Sansa nooooo) so I may give it a shot. But only if I have absolutely nothing else to read and a need for depression.

The Divergent Series – Veronica Roth

The concept intrigued me and I’ve tried the movie but I couldn’t make it all the way through. A friend of mine warned me off them early on by telling me the end and I have a feeling that I’m well out of it.

The Throne of Glass series – Sarah J Maas

I’m intrigued by this and there seems to be a lot of love for it out there but I’ve never even picked it up. I’m going to give it a go the next time I see a copy of the first book at the library but it’s not one I’m in any hurry to run out and read. I’m also VERY wary of the review of later books regarding the love triangle angle – I DO NOT do love triangles.

Dune – Frank Herbert

I’ve seen the film, which I believe was superb in and of its time, but I’ve got a feeling that the book’s worth the page count. It’s one of those classics of the genre that I really feel quite ashamed about not reading but I don’t fancy the sequels or the books in the universe written by his son. I’m always very wary of series’ being continued by family members of deceased writers. I’d be more interested in seeing some of their own stuff.

Everything ever written by Robin Hobb

For pretty much the same reasons as Brandon Sanderson – they somehow just passed me by and her body of work is now so huge that I’m feeling very cautious about approaching it.

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

This one I actually own – I bought it for £2 at the checkout at Waterstones – but has never made it off my shelves. I have an aim to read every book I own at the moment so this is coming up on my list once I make a bit more of a dint in my library pile.

On a side note I’ve just had a glance at the next few weeks worth of topics that are coming up – I’m really excited!

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Fri, 03 Jul 2015 13:41:41 +0000J.S. MacDougallhttps://fouroffivewits.com/2015/07/03/what-to-read-while-waiting-for-the-winds-of-winter/Supposedly, George R.R. Martin has finally finished the sixth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire titled The Winds of Winter, according to one of the directors from Game of Thrones. Until it comes from the source this is enitrely speculation. Luckily, there are a lot of books out there for you to read while you wait. Fantasy has not sat back waiting around while Martin works on the book in MSDos, continuing to publish books on par with his ambitious series.

Some of these recommendations are simlar to A Song of Ice and Fire, some only share the same Fantas genre, and lastly is a list of those recommended by others but whose qulaity can be corroborated. By the time you finish this list, maybe the real release date will be announced. Maybe even the book will be released by the time you’re done.

The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself

Before They Are Hanged.

The Last Argument of Kings.

First Law World by Joe Abercrombie

Best Served Cold

The Heroes

Red Country*

Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind

The Wise Man’s Fear

The Slow Regard of Silents Things (An in between novel.)

Gentleman Bastard Sequence by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Red Seas Under Red Skies

The Republic of Thieves

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Assassin’s Apprentice

Royal Assassin*

Assassin’s Quest*

Crescent Moon Kingdoms by Saladin Ahmed

The Throne of the Crescent Moon

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Sandman Slim

Kill the Dead

Aloha from Hell

Devil Said Bang*

Kill City Blues*

The Getaway Gods*

Novels by Neil Gaiman

Good Omens (written with Terry Pratchett

Neverwhere

Stardust

American Gods

Anansi Boys

The Graveyard Book

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Books by China Miéville (There are others but I can’t recommend them.)

The City & The City

Kraken

Embassytown

The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisen

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

The Broken Kingdoms

The Kingdom of Gods

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (Though I did not like books two and three.)

The Final Empire

The Well of Ascension

The Hero of Ages

Shattered Sea by Joe Abercrombie

Half A King

Half the World

Half A War

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings

The Silmarillion

The Dark Tower by Stepehen King

The Gunslinger

The Drawing of the Three

The Waste Lands

Wizard and Glass (The worst in the series.)

The Wolves of the Calla

The Song of Sussanah

The Dark Tower

Other Books

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes

Books Recommended by Others / Series I Haven’t Read Yet

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings

Words of Radiance

The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Errand

The Golden Fool

Fool Fate

The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

Fool’s Assassin

Fool’s Quest (coming in August 2015)

Assassin’s Fate (forthcoming 2016)

Other Books

A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

*Haven’t read yet but didn’t want to cause confusion by breaking up the series.

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Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:58:02 +0000justinknowshttps://unseeninfantry.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/1995/“Is it the nature of the world that all things seek a rhythm, and in that rhythm a sort of peace?”

– Robin Hobb

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Tue, 30 Jun 2015 21:39:08 +0000ventureadlaxrehttps://ventureadlaxre.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/2015-june/Aurealis Award judging has started once more – last year I listed them separately but this year I think I’ll just leave them off – it’s not like I can discuss them at all.

This year I’ll be judging the first year of the Sara Douglass Series Award, which shall try to determine the BEST series that was finalised between the years 2011 and 2014. Sara Douglass was an amazing Australian author who sadly passed in 2011 (and we can’t believe it was so long ago already), and we are very glad to have been able to name the award for her, as her series got countless people into speculative fiction.

At an estimate we’ll be reading more than 80 series, and as most series have three-five books… it’s going to be an incredibly fun, exhausting feat I’m sure!

Onto the novels read in June!

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga is a really beautiful, wonderful novel. A bit uncomfortable if you’ve been in, or are in a similar situation but ultimately so perfect because it somehow manages to capture all of it – the awkward suffocating interactions with everyone else, and so forth. What I really loved was the communication between the two main characters, especially how they bickered – this was how you knew they were connecting as good friends and ‘getting’ each other. I can’t recommend this book enough – I wish it had a better cover.

The Improbable Theory of Anna & Zak by Brian Katcher was a story I kept swinging between loving and disliking slightly. Sometimes this was fun and then sometimes a few parts that were quite boring and/or irritating which brought it down – I should have liked this book a heck of a lot more than I eventually did, seeing as it’s geeky and about con-life and I read it while on way to a convention myself. I think I was expecting too much from this, and it was a little too American for me to truly feel for the characters, who were just a bit annoying all over.

Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb is a book that made me squeal so dang loudly when I managed to get an ARC – Robin Hobb is right up there in my top handful of favourite all-time authors and her books are always full of so much that it’s dang hard to review them. What can one possibly say to summarise without spoiling and somehow capture the all encompassing feeling of best book of the year without it just being a whole lot of keysmash?

We already know that Hobb isn’t exactly kind to her characters. Starting this book is a bit exciting because it’s more of her work to read, but slightly apprehensive because you just know the poor characters we love are going to be broken just a little bit more. And we weren’t wrong.

Such an epic, fantastic book that manages to break all expectations no matter how high they are, I just can’t explain how much I love this dang author.

Stories of the Rakura: Vol 2 by Martha Wells was excellent as always – if anyone wants a new fantasy author to love, jump straight into her work, please! Start with ‘The Cloud Roads’ then come back here and flail with me.

This collection of short stories was enjoyable and made me hunger for her other work – right, of course, when judging work starts to pick up. Sigh. It can be the reward, I suppose. That aside, this collection was more than I was hoping it would be – especially the part right at the end. You know what I mean.

Investigating Sherlock by Nikki Stafford was a surprisingly quick read, written with an easy hand, taking quite a lot of fact and blending it in as though it’s an easy conversation between friends as you squee over a piece of fandom that’s important to you which made it quite enjoyable read. You can read my review of it here.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik is probably the best book I’ve read this year, which is saying a lot considering the books I’ve read so far. Just this month, having read the latest Robin Hobb, I mean, come on. This is such a thing of beauty though with lovely descriptions and dialogue, excellent female characters, a romance that manages to seem new and different even though it’s a bit of a trope, and a plot which takes unexpected tropes so I was still surprised by the ending somehow.

This book had everything. I adore the ideas used within and all these other plot related things I’m trying to keep out of this mini-review. This is a must-read for fantasy lovers and even those who don’t often read fantasy – it’s just that good. And it’s a stand-alone novel! Not many of those around in the fantasy genre!

Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal is the end of a five-book series, and blows the previous books out of the water – what an ending! I can’t believe that this is over – even though it had a very satisfying ending and was one of my favourite books in the whole series. Parts of this had my heart in my throat (such a charming expression) because they’ve become some of my favourite fictional couples and I just couldn’t believe the lengths Kowal bravely took them to.

Now that this series is at an end I guess all that’s left is for me to save up for the audio versions and enjoy them all again that way someday – Kowal is an excellent voice artist and does the best audio for her characters. Find a sample and see!

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn was a book recommended to me by Sam and a day after finishing it, I’m still not sure what to think about it. I wanted to stop reading about half way through, and honestly after reaching the end, I don’t think too differently from that half way point. It’s a heavy, bleak, nasty book with an ending that is a bit… lacking, really. I know that’s the point of it, but it was a hard slog despite it read really quickly.

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu is a book that was a little awkward to read. I was baptised as a child, and went to religious schools growing up, but my parents were and are firm atheists. For the most I agree with them, though for a few years I attended a church that is… really quite close to the church seen in this book. I attended when I was in my 20s so I wasn’t overly easily swayed, and left pretty quickly because I just couldn’t stand – among many things – the lack of trust they had for their members, but reading this certainly made it all come back.

For that, this book is really excellent at capturing everything fairly. These people are honestly trying to do what they deeply feel is best – they’re not malicious, cruel people.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was a sweet and quick read as long as you can suspend belief of a few things – it makes up for nearly all of it by being an enjoyable read with a twist I certainly didn’t see coming. I’ve been slush reading too much lately that I was just picking out all the plot inconsistencies and the ‘but if THAT then WHY not this?’ and so on. Overall it’s a really fun book and I’d still highly recommend it, so it’s pretty dang good to still be recommended after so many little ‘wait what, WHY on earth,’ moments.

The Just City by Jo Walton was a book I’ve meant to read for ages, and though it was a little slow to get into (being so different and involved from what I usually read), I then couldn’t put it down and devoured it as quickly as possible. And I’m so glad the second book is out so soon!

Ophelia by Jackie French is the second book in her reinterpretation of Shakespeare (the first being about Juliet), and this one was quite enjoyable as I don’t know Ophelia as well as other characters in Shakespeare at all – I’ve never played her. This was read in an afternoon to recover from the weight that is The Just City, and I loved every moment of it. French’s writing was what got me reading hungrily as a child, and so now I still get every book she brings out even though I’m almost old enough to have children of my own at the age to be reading her. This is what good writing is – to be enjoyed at any age, on any subject.

Musketeer Space by Tansy Rayner Roberts is a web-serial of the Three Musketeers, genderbent and set in space. You can read it online for free here and if you’re quick, you can back it on Patreon so that you get it just before it ends, which means you get it as an ebook once it’s finished. Which is only a few weeks away now! And we need cover art!

We started reading this over a year ago now. I’ve been reading it week by week (once or twice saving up three or so chapters to then read in a chunk), and now it’s all over! I was lucky enough to get the last few chapters early to start proof-reading it all and wow. What an ending! WOW.

~

What a month! So many favourite books of the year in all this, it’s amazing.

July brings more judging work, and also some reading for book club. I’m currently part way through Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, and should really start Armada by Ernest Cline soon. I should also start The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison to read for Hugo judging. So much reading, so little time!

I have not read so much fantasy since I was in my early 20’s, and it seems to have reawakened my taste for classic fantasy. I began to search around for a good fantasy series that was epic in style, but also somewhat more heroic in form than the other stuff I had been reading.

To that end, Robin Hobb’s Ship of Magic has served nicely. Like the aformentioned, it is well written, contemporary fantasy that does not blink in the face of grittiness or moral ambiguity, but it is more heroic and romantic in style than Game of Thrones. The plot is better structured than The Magician’s Land, and less bleak that Abercrombie’s First Law series. Additionally, the series is by a female author and features complex and well-thought-out female characters, both of which qualities are sometimes hard to find in the genre.

While not perfect, Ship of Magic came through for me. The story is strong and the characters (well, most of them) are compelling, and Hobb does a nice job of world-building, providing moments of empathy and understanding, as well as tricking and surprising us. The plot, like the sea serpents that haunt this book, has teeth and moves both above and below the surface.

I often start reviews with the things I liked best and then move on to the things that could have worked better, but I think it makes more sense here to dispense first with the distraction of that which did not quite work. My single major complaint about the book is that some conversations and some interior dialogues get repeated a bit too often. A few too many times does Ronica Vestrit (the matriarch of the Vestrit clan) bother to yet explain the importance of tradition in Bingtown society. Kyle Haven, a perfect-storm of paternal bullying and control freak, spends a bit too much time “man-splaining” to everyone that he is bullying and hurting them for their own good. It’s not so much that these characters shouldn’t be saying these things- it is important that we understand that Ronica is fighting to preserve her ancient ways and that Kyle is a mean son of a bitch- but these ideas probably could have been repeated a few less times and been just as effective.

The same is true of interior monologues. Hobb is a master observer when it comes to showing us how self-doubt, anxiety and the desire to discover a pure identity for ourselves can lead to all kinds of problems, but some of her main characters ruminations in these areas could have been shortened a bit. We get it.

On a lesser note, my other complaint about the book is that Hobb is not fabulous when it comes to naming people and places in her world. Other writers do it better. Some of the names she comes with it are great. Our main protagonist, Althea Vestrit, for example. Other are solid. Wintrow the young priest comes to mind. But other names just don’t strike the right tone for me. Bingtown, the home port of all the Liveship Traders, for example. To me “Bingtown” just sounds a bit silly, like someplace you would find in Supermario World. Another not-so-great name is the name of our titular magic ship, Vivacia, which- to me- sounds like the name of a drug.

Okay- enough with the negative, because there are also a lot of great things about this book. These positive elements far outweigh the negative, and I urge you to consider reading the book.

A great female author and great female characters: Robin Hobb is an excellent writer. She is very good at observing and describing. She delivers brilliantly described places, people, ships, landscapes and- yes- giant sea serpents. The story of Ship of Magic is compelling, the stakes feel very real. She makes us feel for her characters.

And so many of those characters are female characters. What is nice about this book is that the women and girls in it are very real and complex humans. While there are elements of romance, they are not simply adornments for men, and guess what? Some of the women have absolutely no romantic subplot, and that’s absolutely fine. Some are grandmothers others are children. Some are cruel and some are wonderful. Some are weak and some are strong, but they all encompass the complexity of what it means to be human. One of the best of these is Etta (a former prostitute turned pirate) whose character embodies both a capability for intense love and cold-edged cruelty. On the surface these two qualities seem contradictory, but within the framework of Ship of Magic, it makes total sense, and we can’t help but feel for her despite her violent actions.

Even the hero of the book, Althea, despite being plucky and awesome, occasionally acts like a real selfish ass, and as a reader, we recoil at her behavior, but then I think to myself, “Didn’t I have an attitude and do selfish things in my 20’s?” The answer is “Yes, of course”, so Althea is a hero yes, but also carries the vanities of a young adult too.

Another nice thing is that female characters have true friends in this book. My wife and I often feel that this is missing in a lot of the fantasy genre, where men have comical buddies, and strong buddies, wise mentors, and youthful proteges, but women are often isolated, completely bereft of family and friends, and wandering from one plot point to another.

Ship of Magic has a feminist bent to it, and maybe it gets a bit preachy at times, I appreciated it, especially in light of how much fantasy and science fiction has no interest in exploring the female perspective. In the vein, the novel passes the Bechtel test over and over again.

Hobb is also very good at examining and articulating the complexities of human nature. There were several times where I stopped reading and thought about a question or philosophical expression posed by one of the characters and wondered how it might apply to my own life.Her characters can be driven one moment and doubtful the next. They be heroic than make one lousy decision after another. In the hands of a poor author, this could be confusing, we would feel that the characters lack internal integrity, but in Ship of Magic, this works and we fell as though they are complex. The struggle with the same philosophical questions that we do: What is life? What is love? Who do we owe? What do we owe family? Is there such a thing as destiny or is everything dumb luck? Her characters are like us, they struggle to find the right balance in life. Time and again he characters struggle with the question of identity. Who are they really? Who were they meant to be. The only characters who maintain a very strong consistence and rarely questions themselves are the sociopaths and villains, those who can’t understand or empathize with others.

Speaking of sociopaths, another strong element in the book is our frightening anti-hero, Pirate Captain Kennit. Kennit is charming and dangerous and utterly without scruples, but a great character because he straddles and blurs the lines between good and evil and he is utterly driven, aslo his story line is very funny- it’s a running joke- because in his constant hunger for more power, he keeps on accidentally doing good deeds and helping others. His story is the opposite of “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” In his case, “The road to paradise is paved on mal-intent.”

Hobb is also good at framing large riddles and mysteries within the narrative. What are the liveships that populate the story? Where did they come from? What are the sea serpents? How are they connected to dragons? Who is Amber, the mysterious woodworker? Who is Captain Kennit, really? Who is the mad ship, Paragon? These riddles take form against a rollicking narrative.

In the end, we have a strong book with a lively narrative and compelling structure. Here and there the writing is a bit clunky, and there could have been some more editing, but the Ship of Magic has a strong heart, and I very much recommend it as well as its sequels.

This is the first book of the Farseer series. A 6-year-old boy was handed to the soldiers of Buckkeep Castle, with the claim that the boy was the bastard son of Prince Chivalry. Burrich, the stable master of Buckkeep was a loyal servant of Prince Chivalry. The last command Prince Chivalry gave to Burrich before he went away, because he fathered a bastard son whilst married to Lady Patience, was for Burrich to take care of him. The boy later came to be known as Fitz. Fitz has no memory of his mother or his father and grows up learning how to take care of animals.

One night in the castle Fitz catches the King’s attention and the King offers Fitz an education, including weapons training, all the King asks for in return is complete loyalty from Fitz but what his loyalty demands of him was never something Fitz expected. Fitz gets wound up in a plot much bigger then he could ever of asked for.

The Assassin’s apprentice is fantastically written. You sink into the world of Fitz, and learn of his struggles to maintain tasks for the King. Fitz is pushed to his boundaries and you are kept wondering if he will be able to survive what he faces. The mystery of the plot goes way beyond Fitz which leaves you eager to read what happens to Fitz next.

I’ve purchased seven books so far this month since I managed to get my TBR pile down to almost non-existent. Since I don’t anticipate buying too many more books for a little bit, I thought I’d share the new additions to my shelves with you guys now.

The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler (Book Two of the Shadow Campaigns): I recently read The Thousand Names (the first book in this series) and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. This series is my first foray into the flintlock fantasy genre and has some excellent characters (particularly the women) so I’m excited to see what comes next for them.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb: I haven’t read anything by Hobb before and since she is such a big name in the fantasy genre, I thought I’d give her work a try. This is the first in her Liveship Traders trilogy and I’ve heard really good things about it. Not entirely sure about the cover though…(Barnes and Noble showed a different cover on their website but this is the one they sent me.)

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison: Also the first book in a trilogy, this is a story about a world where the gods have been enslaved and I can’t wait to start it. My copy is only about 400 pages, (which is on the shorter end for a fantasy novel) so I may begin with this.

End of Days by Susan Ee: This is the final novel in Ee’s Penryn and the End of Days trilogy and I can’t wait to find out how it ends!

Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson: After reading Life After Life a few months ago, I decided I need more of Atkinson’s work on my shelf.

Deathless by Catherynne M Valente: A novel that mixes Russian folklore and history. What more can you want.

The Deed of Paksenarrion: This is a bind up of the entire series centering on Paksenarrion, a sheep herder’s daughter determined to become a knight. This seems like it’s more of a Lord of the Rings than A Song of Ice and Fire, but that’s fine with me since I love both!

There are a lot of fantasy books in this haul so it’s safe to say I’m on a kick! Let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought!

Bye!

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Mon, 22 Jun 2015 12:50:00 +0000kyrahannahofficialhttps://kyrahannah.com/2015/06/22/forged/I am a fairly easy-going person. Very calm. Unruffled. Long fuse. You get the drift. But one of the things that really makes me mad – like, homicidal mad – are truly evil bastards of characters. I love them. The best protagonist will have an equally awful – awful in a brilliant way – antagonist. A figure that makes you grit your teeth and wish with every goddamn fibre of your being that the author will just shoves a knife in that character’s back. Repeatedly. Please. You know the type of character right? I first met such a hated person in J.K. Rowling’s world-lauded series (and for very good reason, but I will discuss the demi-god figure in writing that is Rowling at a later date, I must try not to ramble, I really must) of the Harry Potter books, particularly in book five of The Order of the Phoenix. Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge (shudders at the childhood trauma that lady wrought in my imagination). Man, I loathed that smarmy, manipulative, high and mighty, sickeningly pink, simpering little- Hmm. Enough of that. But lately I have met a figure that has blown that cat-loving, magical beast-hating insufferable toad of a woman out of my mind as the top contender for my literary hate. I have met another fictional figure ten times worse. I have met Regal. The third prince in line to the Farseer throne, as featured in Robin Hobb’s incredible books of The Farseer Trilogy. This is a person I wish many bad things to happen to. Poison? Yes, please. Strangulation? Gawd, yes. Hung, drawn and quartered? C’mon, something better. Soul devoured body ripped apart entrails gnawed on for all eternity stupid smirk plastered onto a wall. We’re getting there. OH MY GOD PLEASE HOBB JUST END HIS GAME OF CORRUPTION AND MALICE AND SELFISHNESS AND SPOILT EVIL. Regal is so perfect as an antagonist. Because as much as I hope for all these terrible things to happen in retribution for him being a singularly terrible person – the little weasel, I just want him to fall off a cliff and drown in the sea already – I know that nothing really can until a certain point in time of the story development. His character is currently entirely protected by his lineage, power and standing in society. Do you understand the level of frustration I feel at this? Do you know why it is so outstanding? It is one thing to create characters we like. It is quite another to create characters that test our heroes, plunge them through fire and brimstone, and allow them to come through made of a new, harder metal. Antagonists forge our protagonists into worthy advocates of our praise. The villains make the stories worth reading as much as the heroes do, if not more so. Everyone loves to hate the bad guy right? For me personally, I just hope Regal chokes on his own saliva soon. This kind of angst is not good for my little heart. For all information on the talented Robin Hobb and all her intriguing works, including The Farseer Trilogy, please visit her website at http://www.robinhobb.com. Happy reading guys and gals! Much love. Featured image artist Ting Chiang aka ThorsHammer of ‘Gray wolf meets two coyotes’, sourced from flickr.comAll terms and characters featured above are the sole creative and intellectual property of their respective authors, J.K. Rowling and Robin Hobb
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Mon, 22 Jun 2015 12:30:33 +0000K.F. Goodacrehttps://kfgoodacre.com/2015/06/22/the-art-of-foreshadowing/

One of the greatest faux-pas one can commit in this age of media is ‘spoiling’ a plot twist or the ending of a novel, television show or play. At a certain point in 2013, one only had to utter the words ‘Red Wedding’ to divide the room in two: those who had read a particular chapter of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and those who had only watched the HBO show.

My parents’ reactions were fairly similar to Mama Stark’s.

Having been in the former group, I remember watching Game of Thrones with my happily oblivious parents, waiting eagerly for their reactions.

Did my mother throw a cushion at me for not warning her? Yes.

Would I have spoiled it for her by letting her know what was to come? Not on your nelly.

Plot twists, surprises and unexpected conclusions are a part of what makes story-telling such a timeless art form, regardless of its format. Yet, as a reader foremost and a writer second, I am in love with the art of foreshadowing.

For those of you who were asleep in English class that day, ‘foreshadowing’ is a narrative device that subtly hints at a – usually important – plot point featured later in the novel. Shakespeare was renowned for using this device: Romeo and Juliet (J: Methinks I see thee, now thou art below, /as one dead in the bottom of a tomb,/ either my eyesight fails or thou look’st pale.; R: And trust me, love, in my eye so do you.).

To use more contemporary examples, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban features extensive foreshadowing of the main plot point: every time Harry or Professor Trelawney ‘sees The Grim’, Sirius Black appears or is mentioned in the very next chapter; in Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s and Tawny Man trilogies, the foreshadowing is so intricately woven into the plot, it makes me want to cry with exhilaration and despair. Foreshadowing can add depth, detail and an entirely new level of enjoyment to reading a novel.

So, what makes it different to spoiling the ending of a story?

Foreshadowing is not that man in the midnight queue, shouting “Snape kills Dumbledore” and it shouldn’t be as obvious as the Star Trek crew wearing red shirts and a target on their chest. Foreshadowing, at its best, is the throwaway line you later kick yourself for skimming; the same line that, after you notice it, inspires the plot detective in you to start looking for more clues. Subtlety is key if you decide to use this device.

Using foreshadowing in your own writing can be a trickier skill than noticing it in someone else’s work. Most writers I know tend to dismiss it as a literary device, wary of ‘spoiling’ the ending of their stories or giving away key plot twists, because they are not confident enough to believe they can use it effectively. I wouldn’t claim to be an expert, but as this is something I have wrestled with a few times before, I have a few suggestions. I believe the best way to combat this insecurity is – as with any crafted form of writing – to plan ahead.

There is a common theory that there are two kinds of writers: Gardeners and Architects.

Depending on which ‘type’ of writer you identify with, there are different approaches one can take when experimenting with foreshadowing.

The Gardener

A writer who has a basic idea and ploughs into the narrative, letting the characters and plot change and grow as they write.

A Gardener has a more organic approach to writing than an Architect and, as such, foreshadowing usually happens naturally, if it happens at all. However, if you want to use foreshadowing and just can’t make it seem to happen whilst you’re growing your world, the best place to implement it is during your editing process. When growing your story, spotting patterns, symmetry and symbolism can be hard. When you’re confronted with an entire ‘garden’, however, it’s easier to see what themes and which characters complement each other. This is where foreshadowing can tie everything together into a cohesive narrative, if you slip it in where it’s wanted and don’t try to shoehorn it in for the sake of it. For example: Character A’s (a king) will die by being stabbed in the chest by Character B (a servant).

DON’T:Constantly make references to death, swords and blood every time Character A is on a page with Character B.

DO:Have Character B accidentally spill a drop of red wine on Character A’s chest during that minor dinner scene you’ve written early on in the book, and (perhaps) have Character C make a comment about how difficult the stain is to get rid of.

The above is a very simplified example of foreshadowing mainly to highlight the narrative difference between subtle and obvious.

The Architect

A writer who has a clear-cut idea of how their story will begin, progress and end, and knows their characters inside out.

It is arguably easier to use foreshadowing effectively if you are an Architect. You already know your plot twists and your conclusion, so you have the entire book to hint at plot revelations and you can put them in whilst writing it, which means they often appear to be more ‘natural’ than adding them in afterwards. The temptation to avoid, if you are an Architect, is giving too much away. Do not hint at everything. Mysteries are popular for a reason. Foreshadowing doesn’t have to be a prevalent narrative device – far from it! Choose one or two plot points to focus on.

Pacing can also be important with foreshadowing, regardless of your writing style. For example, if your foreshadowing concerns a major plot event, it would be best not to ‘subtly’ hint at it in every chapter. In George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, Martin uses the symbol of stags and wolves to foreshadow the fates of the Starks. In the same way a direwolf -the symbol of the Stark household – is slain by a stag – the symbol of the Baratheon household -Ned Stark’s decision to serve Robert Baratheon leads to his death.

This stag vs. wolf foreshadowing still wasn’t as obvious as casting Sean “Excellent Death Scene” Bean as Ned Stark.

Although this event is not repeated every chapter (“Hey, remember when that stag killed that wolf? That was worrying…”), the animal symbolism itself is repeated at several intervals to remind the reader of the link. In this way, additional foreshadowing is spawned: the dire wolf pups are taken by a different Stark offspring, in the same way the Stark children are then split up. This creates an over-arching mood of impending doom throughout the book and, indeed, the series as a whole.

So, if you haven’t used foreshadowing as a narrative device before, take a chance and try something new with your next novel. You might be surprised at how well it turns out.

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Sun, 21 Jun 2015 21:32:53 +0000Michael Senfthttps://relentlessreading.com/2015/06/21/new-arrivals-week-of-615/https://ruthdehaas.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/hot-stuff/
Sun, 21 Jun 2015 16:43:26 +0000Ruth de Haashttps://ruthdehaas.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/hot-stuff/I’m currently revising the second draft of my novel, The Silvergreen Sea. One of the elements I’m trying to develop further is the romantic attraction between my heroine and her – let’s go with prospective boyfriend, needless to say the course of true love runs no smoother for them than for any other fictional couple.

In revising their scenes together, I’ve found it difficult to imply attraction without implying physical attractiveness. And this means I’ve run right up against an issue which has been bugging me in a low-key way for a while now. Namely, as an author, should you make your main characters hot? I couldn’t find any scholarly research on the topic, and I suspect it varies accordingly to the genre, but certainly in my personal experience there are many more books with good-looking protagonists than with plain ones. I find this kind of annoying, especially if not only the protagonist and the love interest(s) are hotties, but the supporting cast as well. The worst example in my own recollection is Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman: a book in which every single character is gorgeous, even the alcoholic who lives in a shack. But there are plenty of other instances – Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles spring to mind, or Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries (vampires are obviously particularly guilty of excessive beauty, although you’d have thought the whole mirror thing would cause issues for personal grooming).

What’s the problem with all this literary hotness? Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, not that many people in real life actually look like movie stars. That’s why the few who do get to be movie stars, and the rest of us get to be project managers or supermarket shelf-stackers or unemployed writers or something equally unglamorous. But books – even fantasy books set in medieval societies without cosmetic dentistry or hair salons – are overflowing with luscious auburn locks, sparkling green eyes and perfectly sculpted cheekbones. It can send my suspension of disbelief crashing to the floor. The only thing worse than making characters pretty is making them ‘not pretty’, as satirised mercilessly by Max Beerbohm back in 1911: ‘Zuleika was not strictly beautiful. Her eyes were a trifle large, and their lashes longer than they need have been’.

Not only is it unrealistic to populate your book with babes, there’s also something rather problematic about the way so many authors focus in on the stories of the handsome, neglecting that ugly people have feelings too. I remember vividly a line from Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth: ‘She had sensibilities which, to Lily, would have seemed comic in a person with a freckled nose* and red eyelids … but poor Grace’s limitations gave them a more concentrated inner life’. And yet the book isn’t about Grace, but the lovely Lily. Is it more poignant to see the [spoilers] downfall and death of a young beauty than that of a young minger? Perhaps. We read, after all, to escape from reality, so if we’re going to imagine ourselves into the role of tragic heroine, we’d probably prefer it if she had perfect skin and sleek hair and thighs which never rub together.

The other side of this coin is that the reader generally wants to fancy the love interest, which is what I’m trying to (subtly) make happen at the moment. I’m also trying not to be too obvious, to maintain some uncertainty, not have the heroine go ‘phwoar’ early on and give the game away. Get her – and, by extension, the reader – to love him for his engaging personality and all that. But still imply that he’s kind of a dish. The book I’ve just finished, The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, does a great job of establishing an attraction between two rather plain characters, although Hobb still describes at least half her male characters as ‘handsome’. And I have to confess I’ve called my heroine ‘pretty’ a couple of times, albeit in dialogue rather than narrative voice.

So I guess the conclusion I’ve come to is that, unrealistic, shallow and vaguely problematic or not, readers want hotties and that’s all there is to it. Even if you try to make characters plain, many readers will just imagine them as hot anyway – a phenomenon known by tvtropes.org as Draco in Leather Pants. So you may as well bow to the inevitable. And if the book is ever successful enough to be made into a film – well, then they’ll all end up looking like movie stars in any case.